How to Life: Be Kind

Kindness makes the world go round.

This blog is going to be a little different than normal, but I had an interesting experience that I want to share.

The Story

My family!

My family and I were traveling out of town for Thanksgiving. It was cold and dark and the roads were snowy. We were on our way to our grandparents house, which we were all excited about. With six kids we were all squished in the back trying not to elbow one another in the face.

Dinner time rolled around and we had to feed the troops. After getting out of the car, grabbing our food, and then piling back into the car we were on our way again! But this time with an added obstacle.

Have you ever tried eating in the dark? And I mean really really dark. The only light was coming from the stereo at the front of the car and we could barely see a thing. But we were all hungry so we dug in. Eating in the car is something we have mastered due to our frequent traveling. So anticipating bumps and turns and paying attention to our surroundings is a normal thing for us. However, adding in the dark made it a whole different experience.

Were we spilling on ourselves? On the floor? The seats? Were we even eating it the right way? As we were all struggling and laughing together a thought occurred.

Someone who is blind always eats in the dark.

And not only do they eat in the dark, they do everything in the dark. This was kind of a crazy thought for me. There are people out there that this was their reality. What was an inconvenience for me is some people’s whole life.

The Lesson

You can make the difference!

It’s easy for us to take what we have and what we can do for granted. We get used to our ways and what we have. And then we don’t take the time to think about the world outside of ourselves. The world is a very big place with lots of people. And lots of people who are different from us.

And honestly we are all just trying to make it through life as best we can with as much joy as we can. Being sensitive to others and what they need is so important! You could be the difference for that person.

Eating in the dark let me see (pun intended) and experience a little tiny bit of what being blind would be like. Obviously it does not come close and I really have no idea what it would be like. But it did help me realize that we need to be sensitive to others around us. We may think that we know, but really we have no idea what others are going through or how they are feeling.

Be kind! Life is hard enough without tearing each other down. “No act of kindness is too small. The gift of kindness may start as a small ripple that over time can turn into a tidal wave affecting the lives of many.” ~Kevin Heath

Have you had an experience where someone being kind made the difference for you? Share it with me!